#1Famous people · Cookham, Berkshire
Writers and artists stand out among the 17 famous people born in Cookham
Most widely known is Stanley Spencer, the English painter, with articles in 23 languages. 8 of them were born in the Victorian era, more than in any other period. The list comes to 32.6 for every 10,000 residents, against 4.9 in the typical town in Berkshire. Only 9 of the 43 towns in Berkshire with anyone on record list more.
Born here
17
notable people
Best known
Stanley Spencer
in 23 Wikipedia languages
First
1809
Thomas Powell
Youngest
1997
Jack Turner
Most common field
Writing & Arts
4 people
What stands out about Cookham’s famous people
★ What stands out · Known for
What Cookham is known for
No other field is as far above the usual share as soldiers and sailors, at 4.8 times.
The usual town: the share across everyone listed across UK towns. Tap a field to see its people.
The best known
Born in Cookham
Counted by languages, Stanley Spencer is ahead of Patrick Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden and Andrew Gilbert-Scott: 23, 9 and 7.
#1PT#2
Politics & Law
Patrick Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden
1929–2016British politician (1929-2016)
9 Wikipedia languagesRead more ↗
AG#3
Through the years
When Cookham’s famous people were born
More were born in the 1880s than in any other decade: 4.
Writing & ArtsSportsMilitaryFilm, TV & StagePolitics & LawFaithNotableScience & Medicine
Each dot is a person, stacked by the decade they were born.
Everyone
Everyone else born in Cookham
14 more, best known first.
Thomas Powell
1809–1887Missionary of the London Missionary Society in Samoa, and botanist (1809–1887)
FaithWikipedia ↗
Donald Clive Anderson
1897–1957English military consultant and historian (1897-1957)
MilitaryWikipedia ↗
No one matches both filters.
Next door
Famous people from the towns next door
High Wycombe has the longest list next door: 107.
High Wycombe · 5 miAaron Taylor-Johnson & 106 more
Maidenhead · 3 miHugh Lofting & 51 more
Beaconsfield · 5 miTerry Pratchett & 21 more
Marlow · 2 miSteve Redgrave & 12 more
Bourne End · 2 miRosamond Lehmann & 6 moreJSFlackwell Heath and Wooburn Green · 3 miJohn Saunders & 1 moreVAFarnham Common and Farnham Royal · 5 miVic Armstrong & 1 moreGLEton Wick · 6 miGary LovedayQuestions about famous people from Cookham
Who is the most famous person from Cookham?
Stanley Spencer (English painter (1891-1959)) is the best known by our measure: Wikipedia has an article about them in 23 languages. Next come Patrick Mayhew, Baron Mayhew of Twysden and Andrew Gilbert-Scott.
How many famous people were born in Cookham?
17 people born in Cookham have an English Wikipedia article that confirms the town as their birthplace. Wikidata places 19 people here; the rest aren’t listed because their article names somewhere else, or no town.
What is Cookham known for?
Among its famous people, writers and artists: 4 of the 17. That is 24% of the town’s list, against 12% across UK towns.
Who is the earliest-born famous person from Cookham?
Thomas Powell, born in 1809. The youngest on the list was born in 1997.
Who counts as from Cookham?
People Wikidata records as born in a place inside Cookham’s built-up area (the ONS 2022 boundary), a hospital or district within it included, whose English Wikipedia article agrees. People who only lived here, adult performers and people known mainly for crimes aren’t listed.
Why is someone missing?
Their Wikidata birthplace may be a bigger area (“London”), another town, or missing, or their article may give no birthplace. We only list people both sources agree on; editing Wikidata or Wikipedia changes this page at the next refresh.
From Wikidata (CC0: birthplaces, descriptions, years, occupations) and English Wikipedia (each person’s article confirms the birthplace; linked, not quoted). Birthplaces are placed in the town by the ONS 2022 built-up-area boundary (Office for National Statistics, Open Government Licence v3.0). Ranked by how many Wikipedia languages cover each person. Fields are read from Wikidata’s description and occupations. “The usual town”: everyone listed across UK towns. Portraits: each person’s Wikidata image, from Wikimedia Commons under the licence below (our copy, resized).
Photo credits (12)
- Stanley Spencer: No answer by website owner, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Noel Mason-Macfarlane: Imperial War Museum, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Helen Ferrers: Guy, Cork., Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Thomas Powell: Lovett, Richard, 1851-1904, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Gilbert Spencer: Lady Ottoline Morrell, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Michael Alford: Memphismurdoch, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Ralph Douglas Binney: Ware, C J (Lt), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Aaron Taylor-Johnson: LucaFazPhoto, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Hugh Lofting: Unknown (Before 1925) Depicts Hugh Lofting (1886-1947), Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
- Terry Pratchett: Luigi Novi, CC BY 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Steve Redgrave: Steve_Redgrave_20110525.jpg: Phil Guest derivative work: MachoCarioca, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
- Rosamond Lehmann: Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026 (ONS boundaries). Northern Ireland: Source: NISRA; contains Land & Property Services data and Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland information, © Crown copyright, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Scotland: contains National Records of Scotland data, Registers of Scotland data and SEPA data, © Crown copyright / © SEPA 2025, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.